Hat sweatband



Jan. l1, 1944. F, R, ROBERTS 2,338,871

HAT SWEATBAND Fiied Maron 21, 1942 I N VEN TOR. FRemsR/CK yl'i. Rom-'RTS BY ,5W

A T TRNE Y Patented Jan. 1l, 1944 HAT SWEATBAND Frederick R. Roberts, New York, N. Y., assignor to Roberts, Cushman & Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application March 21, 1942, Serial No. 435,605

1 Claim.

This invention relates to hats and more particularly to a sweatband connection for hats to enable the hat to be stretched to fit various headshapes with a hat of proximate size.

Until recently sweatbands were made of leather which was stitched along one edge thereof, with or Without a reed, tothe meeting edge of a crown and rim of a hat, by a continuous thread stitched spirally. The end edges of such a leather sweatband either abutted or overlapped, and in any event, the stitching was continuous to include such abutting or overlapping end edges. With the use of leather a certain amount of inherent resiliency Was present which enabled a certain limited amount of stretching of the leather of the sweatband notwithstanding the continuity of the spiral stitching.

It has been proposed to dispose an elastic member circumferentially around the elastic band and between the sweatband and stitching at the meeting edge of the crown and brim, one longitudinal edge of the elastic member being joined to said meeting edge and the other longitudinal edge of the elastic member being secured to one longitudinal edge of the sweatband. It has been proposed to provide buttons and buttonholes but these buttons were objectionable. It has also been proposed to provide along the length of the sweatband, various forms of adjusting devices, to shorten or lengthen the sweatband. All such forms while known to the art, are not applicable to the problem brought about by the prevailing conditions necessitating the discontinuance of leather in the hat industry.

This industry has put into use certain materials to take the place of leather. These materials when used in the same manner as when leather sweatbands were used, by spiral stitching, continuous throughout the circumference of the meeting edge of crown and rim, with the end edges abutting or overlapping, have no stretching attributes, and by such a continuous stitching are so anchored to the hat, that no stretching can take place due to the continuous spiral stitching applied in the manner described.

After numerous attempts to solve the problem presented by the use of such inelastic or unstretchable materials, the invention solves the same, by terminating the stitching at one or the other or both ends of the sweatband, and then covering the unstitched portion of the meeting edge of crown and rim, with the remaining unstitched portion of the sweatband. The ends of the sweatband can abut edge to edge, or can overlap, or one or both ends can be underlapped, but in any case remain free from any securing means with a portion of said meeting edge. The peculiar function which results from such a structure is that the spiral stitching which is now non-continuous, permits itself to stretch and the freely disposed intervening portion of the hat at such meeting edge being free of any anchoring, also is stretchable. The joint result is a considerable stretching to the extent of enabling a head size proximate to but larger than the hat size to shape the hat comfortably by a stretching and conforming action.v

The invention will be further described, an embodiment thereof shown in the drawing, and the invention will be nally pointed out in the claim.

In the accompanying drawing,

Fig. l is a partial perspective View of a hat embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a detail View;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view on line 3-3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a detail view of an alternate form;

Figure 5 is a detail view of another alternate form;

Fig. 6 is a detail view of another alternate form, and

Fig. '7 is a perspective view of a hat embodying my invention.

Referring to the drawing, and more particularly to Fig. l, the known hat crown III and rim II, with their meeting edge I2 is there shown.

The sweatband I3 is preferably made of a rayon silk or cotton material or the like mounted on Celluloid, plastic or laminating material. Rayon, silk or cotton by itself is of course stretchable, but when so mounted they are substantially non-stretchable. If slightly stretchable, when cut on a bias, nevertheless it is not in any manner to be compared to the extent of stretchability of leather or leather substitutes. When certain substantially non-stretchable materials are cut on the bias, a stretchability results but even this is not sufficient. Whenever the words non-stretching material is used herein, it is meant that it is substantially non-stretchable.

One longitudinal edge 24 of the sweatband I3 is stitched to the meeting edge I2 by a spiral stitching I4. The sweatband I3 as known is placed inside of the crown, with its other longitudinal edge I5 uppermost. The ends I6 and I1 of the sweatband I3 terminate near each other.

In accordance with the invention, the stitching I4 begins at 2i), and secures the longitudinal edge IZa to the meeting edge I2, with or without a reed or reed enclosure (known but not shown), circumferentially around the hat, to the end of the stitching at 2i. There is a space I9 of the hat meeting edge I2 from the two spaced ends of the stitching at ZIJ and 2l which is entirely left free of the stitching. The stitching I4, is then of any kind with two free ends, 20 and 2l, and the stitching is thus capable of stretching. If such ends would be secured together, then the anchorage would prevent stretching. This freedom of stretching of the free ended stretching combined with the free hat space, permits stretching as shown by the arrows 36 in Figure '7 and conformation of the hat to the head.

To improve the sightliness of the sweatband the ends of the sweatband can be arranged to abut, or separated or have one or the other end underlap, as shown in Figures 5, 6 and 4, in which Figure 5 shows the abutting edges 3) and 3|-, Figure Gthe spaced edges 32 and 33, and Figure 4 the underlap 35.

These free ends, that is unstitched lips ofv the sweatband, are not secured to the hat, but conceal that portion of the meeting edge of crown and rim which has not been stitched. This concealed gap can be arranged anywhere along the circumference of the meeting edge, but as it is usual to have the ends of the sweatband at the rear of the hat, where such ends are partially covered by the usual bow, it is preferable to leave the concealed unstitched gap of the hat at the rear as is shown in the embodiments of the drawing.

The invention then consists of a sweatband of substantially non-stretchable material secured by stitching to the meeting edge ci crown and rim of the hat, save for a part of the circumference of about a half an inch, the ends Gf the stitching remaining unconnected with each other, and the unstitched part of the hat concealed by an extending lip or extending lips of the sweatband, whereby a stretching of the sweatband combination may take place and the hat conformed to the shape of the head.

I have described several forms of my invention, but obviously various changes may be made in the details disclosed without departing from the spirit of the invention as set out in the following claim.

What I claim is:

In a hat sweatband, the combination with a hat having a meeting edge between crown and rim, of a circumferential sweatband having its ends free of connections to each other, the sweatband being secured at its lower edge to said meeting edge by spiral stitching save for a predetermined space of the meeting edge at the longitudinal ends of the sweatband, the unsecured spaced portion of the meeting edge permitting stretching thereof, the sweatband having one end continuing over said stretchable space and free of connection therewith to permit stretching of the meeting edge by the head of the wearer.

FREDERICK R. ROBERTS. 

